DCS World - F-14 Tomcat - Maneuvering and Flight Characteristics

[@Jabbers]

If you would like to help support the channel directly, Please consider supporting through Patreon: ►► www.patreon.com/jabbers Join my Discord: ►► discord.gg/tx5qvag You can also find me on ►► Twitch: www.twitch.tv/jabbers_ ►► Twitter: twitter.com/jabbers_dcs ►► Facebook: facebook.com/jabbers.dcs/ I also run a Combat Flight Simulation Community called SplashOneGaming ►► Website: dcsworldevents.com/ ►► Discord: discord.gg/8zKd6ea

[@karlchilders5420]

Jabbers, I wanted to say that although I've been critical of the way the F-14 has been received in the DCS community, what YOU are doing is great, and you're showing that the jet isn't some FBW easy to fly as pie machine. It requires thought, and aviation skills to properly employ the weapons system successfully. This jet had a few quirks that pilots HAD to know, such as there is only one way to do engine shutdowns (starboard, #2 first) because of the way the generators were set up and the hydraulics worked, how it behaved under single-engine performance scenarios, etc.. Your videos are great, and I, like others, really appreciate and enjoy watching them...

[@stealthtomcat4739]

What is maneuverability rate of f-14

[@jazxix5681]

The spin was induced by the disruption of air flow into the starboard engine. This disruption stalled the engine which produced enough yaw rate to induce a spin which was unrecoverable. There was no way you could see or avoid the jetwash. The Board of Inquiry finds that you were not at fault in the accident of July. Your record will be cleared. You're restored to flight status without further delay.

[@luisartiach1970]

I understood that reference

[@MotoFlightGuy]

"He can't get back in the saddle, won't engage" "It's only been a few days" "You know he just not might make it back" ".........Keep sending him up"

[@patricktack165]

Talk to me Goose!!!

[@marcpaulrosario6195]

....These proceedings are closed.

[@williamkillingsworth2619]

Movie should have ended with Tom Cruise crashing into L Ron Hubbard’s house.

[@ryangorman2295]

I bought the F14 after about 200 hours on the F16. I was so caught off guard when I tried to do the same things I could before like an 8G turn into a rudder Spin and just got completely smoked. Roll reversal, flat spin, and jester yelling at me about my speed the whole time. The tomcat is a beast to fly

[@stevelikesrhino]

I feel like F-14 is the final version of analog flying. Having to deal with it by ww2 dogfight techniques, while having crazy power and deadly weapons.

[@kevinm.n.5158]

It's like the Carrera GT or McLaren F1. The last of a dying but powerful breed

[@CAL1MBO]

@@WolfdogKitok The F2004 is one from the Traction Control era. Doesn't quite work I'm afraid.

[@kiekiek]

@@WolfdogKitok Nah, more like the F2000 of the plane world, the last true racing car in formula 1.

[@yester8039]

"lets practice flat spin recovery" "this looks like a nice place as any" *Is literally over a populated crow area full of houses* XD

[@Nikola16789]

tnx capt.

[@WhiskeyZF]

Would’ve been better if he went out to sea.

[@BuchoRULES]

@@WhiskeyZF You're not a fan of irony?

[@WhiskeyZF]

BuchoRULES Not a fan of Top Gun?

[@tedm6894]

Not a fan of his ABCCD's

[@gamecentral9313]

I love how you can see tiny imperfections in the windshield.

[@alexvikendi1768]

It's here since Lock-On

[@Viperdriver25]

As for the coordinated turn, there's a slip indicator with the ball just in the center above the vertical display. Keep the ball centered. In the flight school they used to say that 'the ball follows a hand and escapes from a leg' ...Well, it helps actually. And thank you for another great video. Cheers everyone!

[@Jabbers]

Lemme know how that goes in the tomcat, that ball is all over the place not sure if broken or just normal

[@jaybeckman3749]

Nice to see airmanship emphasized. The Dutch Rolls at 4:40 are smooooooth.... I have a hunch this module will frustrate (and probably kill) a lot of casual players who are unable to come to terms with analog flying.

[@Jabbers]

It really is frustrating sometimes at high aoa when not using enough Rudder :)

[@jaybeckman3749]

Jabbers Hope you guys are recording the online test (that may or may not be happening)

[@Jabbers]

I recorded some of it but nothing worthy of posting

[@ClintThrust-e8r]

I’m one of those casuals. I’m well up for the challenge though, I find aircraft like the Hornet boring because it’s so easy to fly. It’s the quirks and unique challenges of an aircraft, that give it character, in my opinion.

[@kcz1093]

I dont think so. the F14 might not be FBW, but its still much forgiving compared to say a MIg21. If players can learn to fly much older analog planes that are much more unforgiving, then the tomcat wont be that hard to learn to handle.

[@richconcepcion1823]

Where FBW jets like the F-16 and F-18 can be likened to a vehicle with power steering, the Tomcat definitely is like a muscle car that has to be tamed first.

[@Nine-TailedFox4]

Why are planes like P-51 and F-5E so docile then? They dont have fly by wire but they are much easier to deal with.

[@richconcepcion1823]

IAB98Raptor Good question you have there. Allow me to share something. One time, an F-16 instructor had a conversation with German WW-II ace, Adolf Galland. The F-16 guy was also the technical consultant behind the Falcon 4.0 sim which I flew 20 years ago. During their conversation, the F-16 pilot remarked how he liked the FW-190 and Adolf Galland’s answer surprised him. He said, while the FW-190 was superior on paper, he preferred flying in the Me 109 because flying it felt like you’re wearing gloves. The plane handled like it was an extension of his hands and did what he wanted it to do. Of course, all planes have their own quirks but Saburo Sakai felt the same way for the A6M Model 21 Zero. He said, put him in a Zero and he’s gonna be fine. I’m no expert but from what I’ve read a bit about the F-16 design, for example, the jet has inherent instability in its flight characteristics. Aircraft stability can be described as either static or dynamic stability. And these types are further broken down into positive, neutral or negative. Anything excessive can be bad. If a plane is stable, you sacrifice maneuverability. If a plane is too twitchy, you sacrifice stability. And instability is a bad thing in combat. Imagine having a compressor stall in an F-14 and you’re in a spin with “MiG-28s” around you. Plus, if you have weapons and a gun, a stable flying platform would be nice thing to have for better accuracy. And the F-16 was originally designed with inherent instability with regard to its flight characteristics and that’s the secret behind its superior agility. It’s the FBW’s job to correct for these characteristics so the pilot could focus more on getting the job done rather than be distracted chasing the needles, trying to fly the airplane. My two cents. :)

[@pogo1140]

@@Nine-TailedFox4 The P-51 was docile because it was designed to be docile, but that was only when it had used up most of it's fuel. During takeoff, with full tanks, the -51D had a really nasty habit of being really unstable due to the center of gravity being move to the rear because of the weight of the fuel. The F-5E was docile it was derived from a trainer aircraft, the T-38 which needed to be docile to avoid killing the student pilots.

[@everythingman987]

Not the same. The Tomcat has hydraulicly boosted flight controls. The only comparison you could make is between a car with mechanical controls and one with drive by wire.

[@Angus_Gibson]

I still come back to this video, and I believe it should be required watching for anyone flying the kitty.

[@SkyDawg91]

One very crucial tool you left out is the slip indicator/turn coordination gauge directly under the gun rate/sw cool/msl prep buttons. That baby is there for a reason; step on the ball to coordinate your turns and keep it centered. Didn’t know about the rudder to roll trick!

[@sneakygloworm]

Great Tutorial! Many Thanks. Flat spins are something I usually end a mission with. :s When I go into A 2 A combat, I attempt to line up all enemy aircraft below me so that when i go into a flat spin, I can take them all out.

[@Dennree99]

Brilliant video. The most interesting one so far.

[@pierrelofinusound3020]

totally agree, plus he's talking quietly, goes to the tricky parts. sometimes more external views would be great!

[@brittoncooke1890]

The first ten seconds of this video seem so familiar to me. I could not have demonstrated the feeling better myself :) I am new to the DCS Tomcat but WoW, what an awesome module. Definitely the weirdest module I have ever flown in the most beautiful weird way ever. I think this is the most useful Tomcat video on the Internet.

[@PilotPhotog]

Great video and love how you went into the airmanship required to fly this legendary aircraft. I actually forwarded this video to one of my CFI friends who flies jets as well. Subscribed and looking into getting a setup to fly DCS at home - thanks!

[@mobiuszero1018]

This is gonna be a hard beast to tame...But it's an experience I'm looking forward to!

[@TacticalOni]

Another spin recovery method I learned from flying the FSX F-14 is to manually pull the wings back to full sweep. This causes your moment of inertia to move forward and should force the nose to dip, allowing you to recover from the spin, put the wingsweep back into AUTO and fly off.

[@Chybear]

Great vid Jabbers. All info you you provide us as a test pilot is very much appreciated by everyone that watches! Thanks bud!

[@Eagle_Beak]

Thank you very much for the help with F-14 handling. This is one of the harder planes I've flown in a sim, and it helps to know what makes it behave differently.

[@Hellreign82]

Fantastic video and information bud. She really can be a handful some times due to the analogue nature Like you mention, takes almost a warbird pilot state of mind in terms of flight and manoeuvres I’m finding it hard when it comes to the carrier. Gets messy fast :) Being a user with only a single throttle Hotas, hopefully I don’t flat spin too much :D

[@MrTornadoman97]

Are there any keybinds to allow you to select/deselect engine throttle control ala IL2 Battle of Stalingrad? I am a single throttle user as well, would be really nice to have that feature so us plebs can still get out of flatspins.

[@Hellreign82]

@@MrTornadoman97 Good shout, i will have a look. Although I don't know if moving the throttle will override the key presses?

[@MillionFoul]

Thank god the rudder inputs drilled into me through hours of coordinated flight in power on turning stalls in a tiny Skyhawk will finally come to use in the virtual world! Turn coordinators are the best instrument, prove me wrong.

[@metanumia]

The F-14 "Tomcat" is the ultimate "Rock 'n' Roll" fighter, in a literal sense and the figurative badass sense. Great video, thanks! :)

[@frankbizzoco1954]

I have a feeling I am going to hear Jester in the back go "shit shit shit shit!" a whole lot while learning to fly this bird. Poor Jester lol. I cant wait!

[@annonnymous-z8t]

Beautiful lesson! I'm building a replica of F-14 on KSP and I needed to see this!!!

[@wernerpretorius5354]

I'm in flight school atm and I have to admit you had a very CFI feel to the video, well done man this is some quality content. :D

[@jcbak]

Love the sense of humor....it's always just the right amount.

[@gcm747]

“Mayday, Mayday - Mavs in trouble - He’s in a flat spin heading out to sea!”

[@MrMorden00]

A couple of quibbles...you are saying the F-14 does not have adverse yaw at low AoA, yet in the video you talk about using same-side rudder to maintain the flight path (or "point on the horizon" as you say). That is the very definition of adverse yaw correction inputs; I do the same thing when flying my recreational airplane, which is heavy on adverse yaw. If the F-14 truly had "proverse" yaw, you'd need *opposite* side rudder in a roll (which I have never actually heard of in a production airplane). The Tomcat in your video exhibits traditional adverse yaw characteristics. Now if the Tomcat were to transition to an opposite-side rudder input at high AoA, my first inclination would be to ask if that were the case rolling in both directions; if not, it's likely an effect of gyroscopic and torque forces from the spinning turbine sections. These forces are magnified at high AoA, and cause a left turning tendency in most Western airplane propeller engines, which turn to the right. The "wing rocking" motion you describe is "stall buffet" and happens with most airplanes at high AoA. The higher the AoA, the higher the stall speed. Being at high AoA with G's on the airframe increases stall speed dramatically, and you can stall an airplane even at 300-400kt if the AoA and G-load is high enough. What you are seeing in the video is the pre-stall buffet as air begins to intermittently detach from the upper wing surface. That's why you have to lower the AoA to make it stop, you have to get away from the stall condition you're approaching. Most airplanes start to buffet at 12-14° AoA, and stall at 16-18°...the F-14 can go to 22°+ because of all the high lift devices like slats that lower AoA (but add significant drag). Countering with rudder input as you describe is really just delaying the inevitable stall/spin as the airplane desperately tries to roll into a spin. If you hold AoA long enough and get slow enough, no amount of rudder will stop the airplane from rolling into a spin. Your description of "vortex lift" is a means of keeping airflow over the tail to keep tail authority (which is actually down force, not "lift"). You can simulate the same thing in a prop airplane at high AoA and low power put adding throttle and getting propwash going over the tail. The buffet you see is because as the vortices start to lose the ability to keep the tail flying, you *are* in a stall buffet, but it's the tail that is about to stall and not the main wing (it has an AoA just like any other flight surface). Now the design of the Tomcat probably won't let you quite stall the tail (unless you are in some crazy unusual attitude), but it will clearly let you get close enough to get tail stall buffeting. Tail stalls are very bad mojo and usually not easily recoverable, if at all.

[@blackhelicopters]

Flat spin was wild!

[@TexasWarbird]

After spending 800+ hours on IL2 BOX. I'd like to believe I'm prepared for analog flying.. lol

[@metanumia]

Same, but the *speed* difference between a Sturmovik and a Tomcat is so immense it will still take a lot of practice! I'm looking forward to it, best of luck! :)

[@ramberto7785]

Only the true cowboys are gonna be able to tame this bull.....thing looks wild as all hell to fly. Love it

[@cowboy10uk]

Guess I’m gonna see if I live upto my name then. 😜

[@erfan3578]

And persian pilots

[@erfan3578]

@Guybrush Threepwood I dont understand what you mean

[@stephenvince9994]

I would suggest you learn spin recovery first....

[@SDsc0rch]

i'm a min and a half in and this is the best DCS tomcat vid i've seen yet wow

[@kateward3914]

In addition to being informative your videos always make me laugh. "This looks like as good a place as any." *snort*

[@lukaszkulasek]

Wow great job! This is the best video of Tomcat I have seen so far!

[@SuprAtheAceofSpades]

08:05 I laughed way more than I should have. Great video!

[@goons123flofy]

Mayday! Maverick is in a flat spin. Bro, that was crazy

[@Shenz1112]

I remember back in the mid 90's, I think, when they added a digital flight control system to the F14 and the problems it caused. Supposedly, it was to help with carrier approaches, where a lot of F14s were going down and killing pilots, and to smooth out high AOA moments. According to a cousin who was around at the time, there was a glitch in the system and they lost a few F14s, grounded the fleet and quietly fixed the code. Weird to think of a plane going from analogue to half-analogue and half digital.

[@stellarhole]

Are you talking about the F-14D?

[@Pylon5Productions]

@@stellarhole they put DFCS in all Tomcat models eventually

[@Hairyloft]

Love the F14. Looking forward to fly this in game. Thanks for the vid.

[@ronaldwatson1951]

Very good instructions and training demonstration without making it difficult to understand

[@constantinfrank1901]

Thank you! Finally someone using the accurate term „Taileron“

[@mskiUSMC]

Cool video, I cant wait for the F14.

[@greg_mid_tn3150]

Best opening of a DCS video ever!

[@CMDRFlyAuburn]

“Adverse Yaw” is the proper term for what you were calling “Roll Reversal” and is present in all aircraft regardless of wing sweep, which is why we lead and coordinate turns with same direction rudder input, i.e., “step on the ball”. Adverse Yaw happens when the difference in lift and drag of the inboard wing versus the outboard causes the aircraft to want to Yaw opposite the direction of turn, which can then also cause a rolling moment after the fact. You are correct that adverse yaw, Dutch roll, and yaw stability in general, is much more of a problem in highly swept wing aircraft. Most modern swept wing aircraft have computer controlled full time yaw stability augmentation systems. This is why I’ve enjoyed the F-14 so much. Its flight characteristics surprise the shit out of me sometimes, but they always make sense when I let my brain go back to basics. It’s a “real” airplane.

[@skypiratez]

11:41 Top tip (and the next) opening a whole new concept of keeping the tomcat in check

[@DaftDrunk24]

Very helpful, thanks

[@kahss]

I end up watching this video every week, thanks :D

[@wowomg1980]

Amazing. Just amazing. The attention to detail they put into this.

[@iLLeag7e]

I just saw that Ward Carrol (F-14 tomcat RIO in real life) is getting his stuff together gathering the necessary accessories to DCS. That'll be good content. Your channel is cool, +sub

[@SaitekFreak999]

This is perfect. I just perfected smooth and consistent t/o and landings in the Bf109 and am looking for a new challenge!

[@LuisFelipy]

NO JESTERS WERE HARMED DURING THE FILMING.

[@MrTornadoman97]

How about that first flatspin? Didn't see any chutes...

[@trollmastermike52845]

but 1 goose

[@EazyWarrior]

I spat out my drink laughing during that intro lol

[@IkeThe9th]

Finally had to chance to watch this one. Fantastic Demo and Commentary as usual. 👍

[@RightCenterBack321]

Seeing those wings buckle scares the heck outta me!!!

[@jonesy8682]

Definitely a good place for that flat spin not a massive population insight.

[@CitizenGamer]

Great video. Thanks for the information. I found it VERY instructional.

[@NavyGuy2OO7]

I cant wait! It's so close I can taste it!

[@ThatTempesTGuy]

The beginning of this video is priceless 😂 👍

[@AnimarchyHistory]

It’s funny. The analogue nature of the F14 was actually preferable for my taste because until I got my Dedicated Gaming PC, I could really only fly WW1 and WW2 Sims. So when I got in the Tomcat I seemed to fare a lot better in close in engagements than most other newer DCS pilots.

[@puu808]

Appreciate all the content man! Finally convinced to just make the jump over to DCS!

[@canopygardensgreenhouse9907]

Thanks for this. Clears it all up

[@BlackHawkFR]

Instructive and fun at the same time. Thx!

[@thetomschaeffer]

thats some serious cockpit vibration... awesome vid.

[@RogerSanGabriel]

The detail is great.

[@thedarkknight7924]

Also you can use the turn and slip indicator at the bottom middle of the ACM panel for coordinated turns. Never flew the Tomcat but i worked on the avionics while in the navy.

[@Jabbers]

Ya, its weird in this, i tried to follow it, but its so jittery.

[@channelvr1293]

DCS is just the most amazing sim in the world.......now in VR its jaw dropping

[@EdgemanLL2]

00:53 Stabilator. Also, depending on speed, differential spoilers assist with the roll.

[@Werkschmiede]

Outstanding! Perfect explantation on that subject!

[@Megalodon64]

When the Tomcat begins to departure follow these steps: 1. Stick to center 2. Throttle to idle 3. Step on the ball. Follow the ball on the turn indicator above the green screen. It worked for me.

[@m_hero15]

i had trouble with f14 but this helped me a lot, tnx

[@pyroscot]

Well i though this was just me being hapless ... i can flat spin on demand lol. Very interesting video Jabbers many thanks. I'm currently new to DCS and the Tomcat and I have kinda a love/hate relationship with mostly hate for the Tomcat at the moment.

[@ellonysman]

Wow, who knew DCS aircraft reacted so realistically🤷🏻‍♂️💥😱

[@herbertpocket8855]

Great video! Very professional!

[@eranmalloch]

Thanks for another great tomcat video Jabbers. She looks like she'll be hard work to fly for those of us who have been spoilt by fly by wire! One comment about the video itself. It would have been awesome to see an outside view of each of those maneuvers as you were demonstrating them. Just to see the control surfaces that move and how the plane moves with respect to the ground and horizon. Otherwise, thanks! :-)

[@TheDisabledGamersChannel]

Jabbers = DCS Royalty !

[@skyeshepherd6341]

So, what you’re saying is that Goose could still be alive if Maverick wasn’t a bad pilot??!

[@onefortysixam9713]

And Mavericks case, both engines stalled. probably would have overheated and locked up. I don't know if you could pull out of a flat spin if the engines are off.

[@WinginWolf]

@@onefortysixam9713 I read somewhere bringing the wings to full swept-back could have been used to bring the center of lift backwards, potentially tilting the nose down which may be used to help break out of the stall at least.... dunno.

[@MasterUxi]

NATOPS says RIO is responsible to jettison canopy before ejection in a spin, so Goose killed himself.

[@sad1989vosoli]

i am screaming now ! because this is happiness LOL

[@king-amir3401]

keep calm. hayajan zade nasho isaac jan 😁

[@Fahreun]

@@king-amir3401 madar jende koos beebee

[@rudelchw]

Thanks a lot, really useful & informative video ... cant wait to pilot the Tomcat myself :)

[@DaddyKoolPop]

Great lessons here. I will practice! [salute]

[@belgeode]

Dat intro doe! LOL!!

[@CAL1MBO]

well shi

[@thomasbouvier3203]

Well ... in first days... and when F14A comes.... there will be a loooooot of those situation... better avoid aerobatics servers at begining :3

[@unusualbydefault]

@@thomasbouvier3203 lol yes, carrier will be pure carnage

[@crashmaster26]

This video wonderfully sums up all the reasons why I am one of the few who won't be buying the F14, never was interested, never cared. I do like the study of aerodynamics though. Give me the Strike Eagle or the Raptor please :D

[@pogo1140]

I like it, but then again I like the challenge.

[@Power5]

Great videos with the F14

[@agamemnonn1]

F7U Cutlass (entered service in 1951) had a twin tail.

[@Fercyful]

Super informative and fun ! Thanks

[@edoardosaccani9542]

Great content! Keep up the amazing work ;)

[@steamingh1606]

thanks for brining this super useful video.

[@Red-Magic]

Looks like slipping into the F-14 from the Spit or Mustang will be easy as pie. 😁

[@Ferocious_Imbecile]

Excellent vid. Thanks

[@9HighFlyer9]

2:32 I was taught that "unloading" the aircraft is done to reduce the g-load therefore reducing the the aircraft stall speed. Additional benefits are lower induced drag allowing quicker acceleration and getting farther away from the structural limitations of the airframe.

[@Jabbers]

Ya i mis-stated this ... should have said reduce AOA, I was thinking reducing the pitch on the stick... leading to aoa reduction... but ya, just bad wording on my part.

[@9HighFlyer9]

@@Jabbers no worries, what you said wasn't wrong in most situations. Inverted with negative Gs I think it's the only time I can think of. And then you've got tons of other issues more pressing. I was mostly just expanding on your statement.

[@EvgenySmolovich]

Great Video! Thank you!

[@TheDickieP]

Great video, I’ve been struggling with the f14 and thought I was a moron but this has helped me enjoy the aircraft for the first time

[@akshaydewan5608]

fantastic video

[@MaxMnemonic]

Excellent!

[@MicrophonicFool]

That is the best looking simulator than I have ever seen. I have experienced other DCS products, but holy fuck!

[@Nanne118]

Hey Jabbers, thanks for the great video: a fantastic way to dissect & take in all the analog information that is going to make the F14 so interesting! On the topic of flat spins, iirc the normal naval ops procedure was to eject / abandon the aircraft, but like you so adeptly demonstrated a number of techniques have been found to work around exiting the flatspin. I was wondering if you are willing to do a video detailing the flat spin itself a tad more and comparing the various techniques (the one you already described is great, but there is also the one made by Joe Hoser Satrapa)?

[@slaughtersteelgrave022]

Nice vid - such a monster

[@CacElect]

what an intro xD love it

[@tailpipe2712]

Can’t wait to get my hands on her 🙂👌

[@p3falien233]

Watches superconcentrated on why the plane flatspins exactly...." This looks like a a good place as any.... " KEKW

[@CallsignJoNay]

I thought I knew a lot about maneuvering characteristic terminology but I've never heard of AOA expressed in units. What's the difference between units and degrees?

[@DragNetJoe]

Units are arbitrary. It was calibrated so approach speed is a nice even 15 units at the boat. I don't remember the conversion. It wasn't important since you didn't have any instrument that read in degrees.

[@tonyascaso6254]

Good stuff Jabbers! Did they implement DLC in this thing, as the real thing had Direct Lift Control; in the landing configuration you pushed a button on the side of the stick to engage DLC. It caused all of the spoilers on the top of the wings to extend slightly. Once engaged, there was a small thumb wheel on the stick, spring loaded to centered, that you could roll forward to cause the spoilers to raise higher and cause the aircraft to “elevator down." If you rolled the wheel aft, the spoilers would go down causing the aircraft to “elevator up." DLC up was not very effective, but DLC down would help as you got close to the ground and started to flatten out in ground effect. The Tomcat was a bear to land and many a pilot was washed out and sent to RIO school because they could not land the plane during carrier land quals on land.

[@Jabbers]

Yup dlc works and it’s great